This invention relates to an apparatus and method of using same for marking below waist garments such as trousers, slacks, jeans, skirts, coats and dresses to permit accurate finishing of the garments to a desired length.
It is common practice for tailors, and alteration hands, for example, when fitting trousers, jeans, skirts and the like on a wearer to physically adjust the length of the garments by turning in the hem to the required height and temporarily pinning the material at the required level. This is an awkward and time consuming operation and the invention accordingly provides an apparatus and method of marking garments for subsequent finishing to length which avoids the need for temporarily pinning up the hem.
The invention provides, inter alia, apparatus in the form of a floor stand having a base, an upright extending substantially vertically from the base, a slide associated with the upright for vertical sliding movement thereon, the slide having a top end projecting above the upright, an indicator device on the upright marked with vertically spaced garment length determining indicia, a mark on the slide alignable selectively with the indicia for setting the top end of the slide at a level above the upright corresponding with a selected indicium so that the top end of the slide may be used as an indicator for making a datum marking on the garment, and holding means for releasably holding the slide in the set position on the upright. The indicia preferably are trouser length determining indicia comprising respectively top to bottom a no-break indicium, a medium break indicium and a full break indicium. In use, when fitting trousers on a wearer, the stand is placed adjacent the outside of the wearer's leg and dependent upon whether the wearer prefers the trousers to have no break, a medium break or a full break, the mark on the slide is aligned with the respective indicium on the upright and releasably secured in position. Then, the top of the slide is used to form a datum marking on the outside of the trousers. The operation can then be repeated on the other leg of the trousers. When removed from the wearer, a measuring device such as a T-square of set length related to the length of the upright is used for measuring off a length of garment below the datum marking to which the garment is to be finished. The garment is then hemmed to the level indicated by the measuring device.
In a preferred form of the invention, the base of the stand is shaped in plan on either side to conform with the outline of a shoe, the base having a thin elongate central portion from which the upright extends and enlarged stabilizing ends. The top of the slide is formed with a plate which is wider than the central portion of the base so that in use, a person on whom a garment is being measured places the outside of his or her shoe adjacent the edge of the base. The plate at the top of the slide provides proximity to a garment being marked.
A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a height indicating mark on the upright for establishing a predetermined height of garment above floor level and a removable rule for the slide with an indicator which can be set in alignment with the mark or, by movement of the slide, can be set at varying heights above the mark. This enables the apparatus to be used for marking skirts, dresses and the like to predetermined heights above floor level.
Applicant is aware of the following U.S. patents relating to tailors' marking devices and the like. None of these patents, however, discloses a device having the features of the present invention.
______________________________________ 1,346,832 July 20, 1920 1,456,547 May 29, 1923 2,630,629 Mar. 10, 1953 2,665,483 Jan. 12, 1954 2,677,889 May 11, 1954 3,094,782 June 25, 1963 ______________________________________
These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.